True Fresh HPP and NutriFresh Services, two of the country’s largest high pressure processing (HPP) operations, are joining forces.
The joint partnership between Buena Park, Calif.-based True Fresh and Edison, N.J.-based NutriFresh, announced last week, will make the combined entity the largest HPP tolling enterprise in North America, according to a press release. The two facilities, which contain a total of seven Hiperbaric HPP machines, will have a combined annual output of up to 200 million lbs.
In a call with BevNET, True Fresh CEO Alan True said both facilities will offer essentially the same suite of services designed to give customers a comprehensive solution for East and West Coasts, including logistical support, dropshipping and pick and pack fulfillment for e-commerce.
“What this did was align NutriFresh and True Fresh so that customers can get a one-stop blanket service,” he said. “It’s a handoff that’s seamless and quick and enables those brands to take business or go after business that may have felt like it was difficult to accomplish.”
The two companies also work with brands on co-packing, packaging design, shelf life studies and other aspects of product development.
“The keyword for us is ‘enable,’” True said. “We want to enable [customers] through our resources and support to get their shelf life studies done quickly, get testing done, to know whether the product has the container that it needs, and just do it as much as it takes for them to get their product in position for shelf edge.”
The two facilities will have some differences. NutriFresh processes cold-pressed juices, while True Fresh does not. The California company also has a standalone production plant for spouted pouch products, such as juices and baby foods.
True said the bi-coastal partnership did not involve any financial transaction and that the two companies will continue to operate independently.
“We try to make it feel like a merger without having an economic exchange,” said True. “It’s a fully transparent sharing of leads and resources, so it’s a win-win and a positive for all the customers who come through our door.”
Rather, True said the goal is to give the two companies a shared national footprint to offer better support for both emerging and large-scale brands that use HPP technology.
“I think the biggest part of why we were motivated to do this is that we were seeing that HPP is emerging from a niche technology to something that’s starting to get applied in larger CPG companies,” True said. “We know that the Northeast and Southwest are the epicenters of where a lot of this innovation is going on. That gives us the coverage we need to be in the places where the brands are emerging and the big brands are needing support.”
While True noted the importance of having a national platform for HPP toll processing, he also stressed the importance of new innovations coming from younger emerging brands.
“In our space, that’s the type of company that’s going to make HPP more and more dynamic as they integrate it into new products,” he said.
Editor’s Nate: A previous version of this story incorrectly stated that True Fresh and NutriFresh had a combined five Hiperbaric HPP machines. This version has been corrected.